1. Furlough authorized. The sheriff may establish rules for and permit a prisoner under the final sentence of a court a furlough from the county jail in which the prisoner is confined. Furlough may be granted for not more than 7 days at one time in order to permit the prisoner to visit a dying relative, to obtain medical services, to participate in a program operated by a jail that conditions release on regular daily reporting to the jail of the prisoner’s location and activities or for any other reason consistent with the rehabilitation of an inmate or prisoner that is consistent with the laws or rules of the sheriff’s department. Furlough may be granted for a period longer than 7 days if required to provide treatment for a physical or mental condition of the prisoner, including a substance use disorder, as determined by a qualified licensed professional.

2. Copy of rules provided to prisoner. Any prisoner permitted furlough from the county jail under this section shall be furnished a copy of the rules of the county jail applicable to the furlough. The prisoner must attest to receiving the copy.

3. Violation of terms of release. All prisoners who willfully violate the terms of their release under this section in relation to the time for reporting to their places of furlough, the activities they may conduct while on furlough or time of reporting back to the county jail, may be punished by imprisonment for not more than 60 days, except that prisoners who do not return to the county jail within 24 hours from the time they are scheduled to return may be prosecuted for escape under Title 17?A, section 755. They shall be prosecuted in the county in which the jail to which they were sentenced is located.

4. Violation; obstruction or assistance to furloughed prisoner. Notwithstanding Title 17?A, section 4?A, any person 18 years of age or over who willfully obstructs, intimidates or abets any prisoner on furlough under this section, and thereby contributes to or causes the prisoner’s violation of the terms and conditions of the furlough, after having been warned by the sheriff to cease and desist in that relationship or association with the prisoner, is guilty of a Class D crime and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment for not more than 11 months, or both.